The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) was confirmed as
a major culprit of multiple sclerosis (MS) by scientists. EBV is actually ubiquitous in the population and infects up to 95 percent of adults.
For years, this was a suspected possibility.The suspicion has been confirmed by a Harvard study published in the journal Science in January 2022.
U.S. active-duty military personnel require a blood test biennially, and the blood samples collected each time constitute a large and diverse blood bank of young people. Researchers determine the causation between EBV and MS based on the data provided by these blood samples.
The researchers found 955 individuals who later developed MS from more than 10 million U.S. military personnel who had served in the past. After checking their conditions, the researchers identified 801 people whose blood samples were collected and tested from 1993 to 2013. Meanwhile, more than 1,500 other military personnel were recruited as a control group. Their conditions were similar in all aspects to the first group of 801 individuals, but they didn’t have MS and were healthy.
The researchers hoped that such comparisons could confirm the variances that caused the 801 individuals to later develop MS.
Blood tests and analysis found that individuals who later developed MS had a much higher rate of EBV infection than those who didn’t have MS.
It has been estimated that individuals infected with EBV have a 32-fold higher risk of MS than those who haven’t been infected with EBV. No other viral infections have been found to be associated with MS.
An individual’s nerves will degenerate if he has MS, which can be identified by one of its biomarkers—increased serum levels of neurofilament light chain (NfL). The data show that the rise in NfL levels in individuals with MS occurs only after, but not before, EBV infection.
The researchers indicate that there is an evident association between EBV and MS, which can’t be explained by any known risk factor for MS. This strong association suggests that EBV infection is the leading cause of most MS onset, and may be the main culprit of MS.
The
average median time from the discovery of EBV infection to MS onset is 10 years. The researchers say that it’s partly because MS patients have no symptoms in the early stages of the disease, and partly because of the constant evolution of the relationship between EBV and the human immune system.
EBV Is 1 of the Most Common Viruses
EBV, a type of herpesvirus, is found worldwide and is one of the most common human viruses.
EBV is most commonly transmitted through bodily fluids, mainly saliva. Nine out of 10 adults have EBV antibodies, indicating that they have been infected with EBV at some point in their lives. In fact, many people may become infected with EBV in childhood, but they are asymptomatic or have mild symptoms that go unnoticed.
Symptoms of EBV infection in teenagers and adults include fatigue, fever, inflamed throat, swollen lymph nodes in the neck, enlarged spleen, swollen liver, and rash, which usually improve in two to four weeks.
1 Person Gets MS Every 5 Minutes
One person in the world is diagnosed with MS every five minutes, and females are twice as likely to contract the disease as males.
According to
statistics in 2020, 35.9 out of every 100,000 people worldwide have MS, with a total of 2.8 million patients. Among them, people in North America, Europe, and the Mediterranean are prone to the disease. It is estimated that, between 2000 and 2017, the
average prevalence of MS among U.S. adults was 337.9 to 362.6 per 100,000 people.
MS is an unpredictable disease of the central nervous system, in which communication between a patient’s brain and other parts of the body is disrupted. Many researchers believe MS to be an autoimmune disease, in which the body launches a defensive attack against its own tissues through its immune system. The nerve-insulating myelin sheath of patients with MS is under assault, and the conditions range from relatively benign to disabling.
Most MS patients experience their first symptoms between the ages of 20 and 40. The initial MS symptoms are often blurred or double vision, red-green color distortion, or even blindness in one eye. Most MS patients experience muscle weakness in their extremities and difficulty with coordination and balance, which may be severe enough to impair their walking or even standing. In the worst-case scenario, MS can contribute to partial or complete paralysis.
MS patients also often experience abnormal sensory feelings, such as numbness and prickling. Some may also experience pain. Other common symptoms include speech impediments, tremors, dizziness, and hearing loss.
Approximately half of patients develop cognitive impairments, such as difficulties with concentration, memory, and poor judgment. However, these symptoms are frequently overlooked because they are usually mild. Moreover, depression is another common trait of MS.
Beta Interferon Is Effective in Treating MS
There is no cure for MS at present, and many medications have serious side effects, carrying significant risks.Currently, some of the most promising drugs are
interferon drugs, especially beta interferon.
Beta interferon is a
naturally occurring antiviral substance secreted by the human body. It can inhibit EBV infection, reduce MS relapses (exacerbation) and progression, and slow physical disability progression. With beta interferon, when the immune system attacks the nerves, the process tends to be shorter and less severe.
Existing beta interferon drugs for MS approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) include Avonex, Betaseron, Extavia, and Refib.
Vitamin D Can Improve Treatment Effectiveness and Reduce the Risk of MS
There is a vitamin that can effectively enhance the body’s immunity and the effect of beta interferon—vitamin D.Vitamin D enhances the efficacy of beta interferons in the treatment of MS. In a randomized, double-blind experiment, when treated with beta interferons and weekly oral 20,000 IU vitamin D3 intake at the same time, patients show better treatment results. Not only do they walk faster, but their exacerbations of MS also slow down.
Further studies have demonstrated that the combination of vitamin D plus beta interferons enhances beta interferon induction of multiple proteins. Vitamin D can
increase the positive effect of beta interferons in MS patients, and also reduce and reverse the adverse reactions it may induce.
MS is also believed to be a multifactorial disease, influenced by genetic and environmental factors, including vitamin D deficiency.
For instance, in far
Northern and far Southern latitudes, and in cloudy regions of France, people with low serum
vitamin D levels due to lack of sunlight are linked to an increased risk of MS. Contrarily, fewer people develop MS near the equator. In addition, MS exacerbation and progression are related to
low serum vitamin D levels. A clinical
study of demyelination shows that patients with higher serum vitamin D levels have fewer second attacks and less brain atrophy.
Foods in This Category Have the Most Immediate Effect
Vitamin D, also known as calciferol, can be obtained from sun exposure, foods, and supplements. It is biologically inert and must undergo two hydroxylations in the body before it can be used. The first hydroxylation occurs in the liver, converting Vitamin D to calcidiol, and then to calcitriol in the kidneys.
Serum concentration of calcidiol is currently the primary indicator of
vitamin D status. For most people, serum concentration levels of calcidiol at 50 nmol/L (20ng/mL) or higher are sufficient.
The
natural food with the highest amount of vitamin D is cod liver oil. One tablespoon of cod liver oil contains 34 micrograms (mcg) of vitamin D3. The flesh of fatty fish, such as trout, salmon, tuna, and mackerel, are also among the best sources of vitamin D3. Three ounces of cooked trout and salmon, respectively, have 16.2 mcg and 14.2 mcg of vitamin D3.
In addition, some mushrooms
treated with UV light provide copious amounts of vitamin D2. The FDA has approved UV-treated mushroom powder as a food additive for vitamin D2 supplementation in food products.
Notably, in addition to
providing vitamin D3, animal-based foods also contain a large amount of calcidiol. Direct intake of
calcidiol is five times higher in raising serum calcidiol than intake of vitamin D3. If the rich content of calcidiol in beef, pork, chicken, turkey, and eggs is taken into account, the total vitamin D content obtained increases two to 18 times over that of the original calculation of vitamin D alone. In this way, the effect of supplementing vitamin D through animal-based foods is relatively immediate and obvious.
In general, the recommended
daily intake of vitamin D for adults aged 19 to 70 is 600 IU (15 mcg), and 800 IU (20 mcg) for adults over 70. For treatment, physicians may recommend higher doses of vitamin D according to patients’ conditions.
